EP 1001432 A1 20000517 - Method of testing random-access memory
Title (en)
Method of testing random-access memory
Title (de)
Prüfungsverfahren eines dynamischen Speichers
Title (fr)
Procédé de test d'une mèmoire d'access aleatoire
Publication
Application
Priority
EP 98309192 A 19981110
Abstract (en)
A method of testing RAM without destroying the stored data consists of looping through the locations to be tested (21, 28, 29), and at each location, inverting the data stored in the location (22), loading the inverted data from the location to a register (23), inverting the data in the register (24), writing the twice-inverted data back to the location (25) and comparing the actual content of the location with the content of the register (26). The test fails (27) if any of the comparisons fails, whereupon the test can be terminated. The test succeeds (30) if the all of the locations have been tested without any of the comparisons having failed. Further tests may be carried out at a selected location only, to test for short circuits between data bus leads. The method contains fewer memory access operations that the conventional method, so it will be faster. The method will also detect bits that can be changed but not changed back again, as well as stuck bits. <IMAGE>
IPC 1-7
IPC 8 full level
G11C 29/10 (2006.01); G11C 29/52 (2006.01)
CPC (source: EP US)
G11C 29/10 (2013.01 - EP US); G11C 29/52 (2013.01 - EP US)
Citation (search report)
[XA] US 5699508 A 19971216 - KHASHAYAR ABBAS [US]
Designated contracting state (EPC)
DE FR GB NL
DOCDB simple family (publication)
DOCDB simple family (application)
EP 98309192 A 19981110; US 43740999 A 19991110